The Springbok women's rugby team, including one Grahamstown player, hosted their first match on South African soil in almost four years on Saturday, against a vastly experienced Nomads international invitation side in Cape Town.
The Springbok women's rugby team, including one Grahamstown player, hosted their first match on South African soil in almost four years on Saturday, against a vastly experienced Nomads international invitation side in Cape Town.
In the first of a two-match series against the Nomads, Daphne Scheepers, who plays for Grahamstown's Lily White club, won her ninth Test cap. The Springbok's won the game 28-17.
Speaking to italGrocott's Mail/ital yesterday, Scheepers felt the match went okay, although she said they dominated for much of the game. They spent the last 10 minutes of the game defending, however, as the Nomads fought hard for a final try.
Scheepers said she's looking forward to the next test, taking place on Saturday.
Both matches take place at Goodwood Rugby Club.
The star-studded Nomads will also play a midweek matCh against DHL Western Province at Langa Stadium today, kicking off at 6.30pm.
During their last tour of South Africa in 2008, the international visitors, whose 2012 squad are drawn from New Zealand, Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden, beat the Springbok women 40-34 and 29-0 in a similar two-match series.
“We haven't played a home game since 2008 so this is an exciting opportunity to show how serious we are and the high standards that the women play to,” said Springbok women's coach Denver Wannies.
“You can train as hard and as much as you like but the real test is playing actual matches,” he said. “We don't get many opportunities to play and we can only improve if we play against strong opposition on a regular basis.”
South Africa's most capped players are fullback Yolanda Meiring and lock Dolly Mavumengwana, each of whom has now won 27 caps.
Saturday's match was preceded by curtain-raisers featuring Maties, Busy Bee, Blue Jet, United Brothers, UWC, Khayelitsha and Tygerberg teams.
